How To Get Out Of A Bad Mood

Here are some ways to begin to help you get out of your bad mood and feel good again.

Examine the evidence. When we are depressed we tend to jump to many negative conclusions about others, the future, and ourselves. “They don’t really like me”, “She only invited me to be nice”, “The promotion was pure luck, it had nothing to do with me”. These assumptions take the joy out of life and maintain our depression. Instead of assuming your thought is true, step back and ask yourself, “Is there anything that tells me this thought isn’t 100% true? What is the evidence? What does it show? This may allow you to let in some information that you were previously discounting and allow you to feel better. In this case you’ll be happy to find out you are wrong.

The double standard. When we are depressed our internal negative voice is quite critical. We tend to put ourselves down and criticize ourselves about our shortcomings. Yet, we would never dream of talking to a friend this way even if they were struggling with the same issues. Well, why not talk to yourself the same compassionate way you would talk to a close friend. Would this motivate you better than the constant criticism? Ask yourself, “Would I say such harsh things to friend who had a similar problem? If not, then why? What would I say to him or her instead? Give this a try for a week; you can always go back to criticizing yourself if this doesn’t work.